Ferro, Bumblebee, and a Ghost Town

After leaving behind the town where they met Audrey, Ferro and his new friends started the journey to the young man's home and family. The Huntresses were simply curious about where he came from, and it seemed like a good enough excuse to go out and see more of this foreign land. A while went by of simple travel and on-and-off teasing from Yang before they finally stumbled upon something of interest.

There was something of a base camp erected in the middle of the road, with a few people rushing back and forth across it and attending to their work. There were signs posted about the perimeter of the encampment.

'WARNING: The village to the South is Haunted! Infested by midara and spirits. Venture at your own risk. Looking for able soldiers to help resolve the issue.'

"Well, that doesn't look good...." Yang said after reading the sign.

"It's on our way... Should we go take a look? Maybe we can try and fix the problem!" He pondered as to why so many spirits and Midara flocked to the town. Did they overrun it and take over, did they simply take shelter in an abandoned town, or something else...? "I know I definitely wanna go take a look."

"Then we should learn as much as we can here, as well as make sure we're flush with supplies." Blake said with a nod, agreeing with Ferro's decision.

"We're at the right place for exactly that, let's go." Yang also agreed. When the trio entered the camp, they found that the tent of the head organizer was in the dead center of it all.

He nodded to Blake's suggestion, figuring they could probably do with a restock of supplies as well while they were here, if possible.

"Excuse me, pardon the intrusion. We were travelling down the road and couldn't help but hear the town ahead is haunted?" He looked to whoever seemed like they were in charge.

That person was a man not much older than Ferro standing at a table inside the command tent. Despite his youth, his armor adorned with countless regalia denoted his status. "I'm afraid you heard right. The town of Crescent Burg to the south has been abandoned for at least a century. But now, it's become home to several midara. We even have reports of ghosts. We don't know the root cause of the matter, and we're wary about attempting brute force. If I lead a platoon in there and things go south somehow, all of the settlements in this county would be left vulnerable. Are you three here to help?" The young commander explained to his guests.

"You bet we are!" Yang immediately exclaimed.

"How could we be of help, sir....?" Blake asked, trying to think before she acted, unlike her all-or-nothing partner.

"You may call me Sen. The most I could ask of you is to investigate the town and discover why it's become so active. Not one of the scouts I've sent have reported anything of note, as they leave before they’re discovered as per my orders." He answered.

"That sounds simple enough," Ferro answered, having not heard of any mention of the Midara or spirits being hostile or malicious. Maybe they simple saw the empty plot and decided to call it home. "If it isn't asking too much, we were hoping we might be able to get some supplies while we're here as well. I hope it's not too big an imposition to ask."

"Not at all. The supply tent is opposite this one. The quartermaster will help you gladly. From what little my scouts have learned, most of the town is small, unelaborate buildings with a large mansion in the center. And, take this, it might help." Sen handed them a small bag, which Yang took it upon herself to carry.

"Cool, what is it?" She asked as she hooked it to her belt.

"Small glass balls filled with ashes blessed by midara priestesses. Don't worry, they're ashes of wood. If you throw and shatter the ball, the ashes will reveal any midara or spirit they touch by glowing a radiant yellow when in contact with them. However, I can only afford to part with these three." The commander told them.

"Oh thank you very much. Well, if that is all, we'd better get stocked up and be on our way. We'll be sure to update you when we get back, Send." Ferro shook the man's hand curious about the glass balls, considering them akin to smokebombs in a way.

After finishing their business in the center tent, Ferro left with his companions to go see about getting themselves prepared for more travel.

"Oh, one last thing. Prioritize your own safety above all else. If things are too pear-shaped, return here. That is an order." Sen finished.

"Don't get your underwear in a knot, Sen. We'll be in and out, and probably do your job for you before we're done." Yang assured him.

"I would hope so." The young man responded in a less dire tone.

Team FBY went to the next tent over for their supplies. "Ah, if you're here, you must be adventurers seeking to help the young Commander. Very good, very good, what do you require?" The quartermaster asked them, an older man who seemed jittery and too aged to properly vent his energy. He was constantly looking around the tent and keeping track of his inventory.

"The commander was so young compared to the Quartermaster, that seemed odd, but it wasn't a good time to ask. They had a job to do now, so the best chance to sate his curiosity would be after they cleared through town. "Rations and water and it would be nice to get our clothes cleaned if possible. If you have any supplies you'd recommend for the job, that'd be appreciated."

"We have plenty of all of that. The laundry is right over there. Not anything else here I would recommend in particular, I can see the Commander gave you some of the ashes. Just be quick about your task. Sen worries his head off over every soul he isn't laying his eyes on." The quartermaster told them, giving them free reign to gather from the food stores and use the other amenities.

"Thank you. We'll try to be expedient about it." Turning to Yang and Blake as they started to leave, he asked, "So how should we do this? I could maybe go stock up on food and water while you two get your laundry done, and when I'm done, I'll do mine after yours."

"Shy about seeing us undress?" Blake asked him immediately with a light giggle.

"Just for that I should force you to do your laundry at the same time as us.... but we should stay focused. Let's go with your idea, Ferro." Yang said. The two hustled into the laundry room and left their companion to handle the supplies.

He laughed at the teasing, having gotten his fair share across their travels. It was safe to say he'd become used to their company and their antics, especially Yang. "Maybe I am, Blake. Are you sure you would be able to contain yourself if I stripped right now?" He tossed a bit of teasing back at the cat Faunus, giving her another laugh before he walked off to go grab their rations.

The rations were easy to find and plentiful in number, thanks to the quartermaster's diligent work. As soon as Ferro finishing storing as much as he could carry, Blake and Yang came out of the laundry room. Smelling a lot fresher with their outfits cleaned. "Alright, your turn. Don't take too long or the kitty will come check on you." Yang told him, having her own look at the supplies.

"What happened to being serious and focused?" Blake asked her partner, who only responded with a shrug.

"I'll do my best," he told them, heading in and stripping down his clothes to wash. Eventually he was left exposed and hoping nobody he didn't know came waltzing in. Eventually when his clothes were clean and dry, he got them on in record time, coming out of the tent feeling so much better.

"Alright, so are we all set to check out a ghost town?"

"All set. I even brought an extra Ace in the Hole." Yang said, gesturing to the pouch of ashes she had to tell that she had stored it in there.

"We'll follow your lead, Ferro. I hope you're not scared of ghosts." Blake said to him with a confident look, she was already psyched up for this.

"Not particularly, I'm more fascinated than scared. Alright, let's go!" Ferro led the way out of camp to make their way towards the ghost-infested town, questions and thoughts swarming his mind.

Following the road south, the trio arrived at the town's main gate. On first look, it looked truly and completely abandoned. The dirt streets showed next to no signs of recent travel, and the wooden one and second story buildings lined the street, their walls slightly deteriorating. No signs of life besides the overgrowing vegetation.

"This remind you of what it reminds me of, Blake?" Yang asked her partner.

"It does..." the catgirl replied as a shiver went up her spine. "Let's not think about that anymore. At all. Ever. Lead the way, Ferro, we have your back."

"Right. I'll try not to ask," he said, looking around town, at first starting with searching the buildings. It was best to be thorough, at least for now, so that they can know for sure what they're working with.

-Search-

Search (12) Crit Success

In the first few buildings they inspected, they found them to be residential homes. Most of the owner's possessions were completely absent, but the bed and the kitchen seemed to be... maintained. In fact, although whoever lived here didn't leave anything inside, there were clear signs that someone lived there. And inspection of the neighboring houses revealed the same.

"Do you think it's midara using these homes?" Blake asked.

"It's gotta be somebody," Ferro answered, taking a closer look at the bedrooms, looking for any signs of who specifically may be living here before realizing there was nothing here. "We might have to take a look deeper into town, inspect any businesses and... Well that mansion in the middle of town."

"For sure. But we also need to be on our guard. Deeper we go in, more likely we are to have company." Blake responded as the Huntresses got ready to let Ferro lead again.

Area: Outer Town
Progress 2/4

He agreed, the further in, the more potentially dangerous it'd be. He steeled his nerve and pressed on, searching further into the old, abandoned settlement, wondering what they'd find.

Progress (81) Fail
Encounter (12) Crit Success
Cat Reflexes (17) Fail

As soon as Ferro and his friends stepped out of the homes they were inspecting, Blake was suddenly hit in the face with an arrow with a pair of lips attached to it. After a moment of shock, she peeled it off of her face, which now had a big red lipstick mark.

"Sorry, huns, but we're the ones who are going to loot this place." The female archer said to them, hiding on top of a building on the opposite side of the street.

"Yeah, now beat it." A busty brawler with passing similarities to Yang was dead center in the street, cracking her knuckles.

"Bandits." Blake growled as she drew her blade.

Ferro: 30 Willpower
Yang: 30 Willpower, 12 Ammo
Blake: 27 Willpower, 3 Clones

Brawler Bandit: 20 Stamina
Archer Bandit: 20 Stamina